Coat hanger



Sgpt. 18, 1951 E w D 2,568,674

COAT HANGER Filed June 23, 1947 I; I0 12 f iii INVENTOR.

flue: E VVIEDER.

Patented Sept. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COAT HANGER Alice E.Wieder, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 23, 1947, Serial No. 756,382

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to coat hangers and more particularly to coathangers of general utility embodying several features designed toincrease the usefulness and effectiveness of articles of this generalcharacter.

Clothes hangers in general use generally comprise a hook member, a pairof shoulders and occasionally also a horizontal cross piece designed tohold trousers, skirts, or similar articles folded thereover. In thecourse of use conventional hangers become loosened from the rod uponwhich they are hung and thereupon either fall to the floor together withany clothing suspended on them or tilt when unbalanced and permit theclothing to slide loose from the shoulders.

Moveover, it has been impractical to hang garments of the sleevelesstype or to secure the collars of any type of garment in a naturalposition to prevent sagging. Trousers or the like when folded over therod at the bottom of the hanger have a tendency to slide off or tooccupy one side of the hanger in a tilted position, thereby retainingthe hanger in a tilted position and frequently causing it also to fallfrom the rack. Also at times it is undesirable to hang trousers orsimilar garments in a folded condition. Notwithstanding this factconventional hangers provide no means for hanging these garments in anyother position.

Another unsatisfactory condition in hangers of conventional constructionis their unnatural shape in the shoulder portions or their undue weightand bulkiness when the shoulders are formed with a satisfactory contour.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new improvedhanger of great utility which is in a form to be hung from a clothespole orthe like, but which has novel and improved features associatedwith the hook for preventing the dislodgment thereof.

It is another further object to provide a new and improved hanger of thedesired character provided with a positive hook releasing mechanism forremoving the hanger from a normal position of use.

Another object ofv this invention is to provide anew and improved hangerof simple construction and light weight but having good qualities ofdurability and many useful and improved auxiliary features.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved hangerhaving positive looking characteristics both'with respect to the hangeras a whole or garments hung therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to-provide a 2 new useful andimproved means for properly holding the collar of a garment in a naturaland secure position.

Another further object is to provide a new and improved construction forpreventing garments from sliding from the shoulders of the hanger andalso designed to receive sleeveless or strap type garments.

Yet another object is to provide a new and improved hanger of thedesired character described upon which trousers, skirts and the like maybe hung in a folded condition or optionally in a secure but unfoldedcondition.

Other specific objects are the provision of a new and improved safetycatch and hook construction associated with a hanger body of compact andpleasing appearance which is at the same time highly utilitarian infunction.

It is also an object of this invention to provide improvements inconstruction, operation and design over prior hangers intendedtoaccomplish analagous purposes.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevice whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter setforth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a preferred form of hanger partiallyin section intended to illustrate this invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the hanger.

Figure 3 is an end view thereof.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view in vertica sectionof the hookmechanism.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view on the line 66 ing the arms or shouldersI1 and [8 should be suitably rounded upon its upper edges to conform asmuch as possible without undue wastage of space to the normalconfiguration of the shoulders of a garment. Nevertheless the top edgeI9 of the body may be flattened to facilitate the securement of the hookII and tongue I2. Thereby likewise a suitable breadth to the body of thehanger may be optionally obtained for the satisfactory securement of asubstantially U- shaped spring clip 20 extending downwardly on bothsides of the hanger body for the purpose especially of securing andpreventing the drooping of the collar or neck portion of a garment withequal facilit from both sides of the hanger. The body may be formed witha hollow interior 2I, the whole having an inverted U-shaped crosssection.

Approximately midway along the shoulders suitable notches 22 may beformed providing an undercut intended primarily, though not necessarilyexclusively, for the non-slidable securement of the strap of asleeveless type of garment,

but useful also for retaining garments in place formed with shortsleeves or with seams or other like construction to prevent the garmentfrom sliding from the shoulders of the hanger.

- -To further insure the retention of the straps within the notches 22appropriately formed wirelike tips 23 and 24 may extend upwardly andinwardly partly over and within the notches and preferably in a linewith the upper edge of the shoulders. As illustrated, the tips 23 and 24may be formed from the ends of the cross bar I3 which for this purposemay be formed into loops 25 and 26 and which after proper securementwithin the associated shoulder, as by flattening and soldering orriveting appropriate areas 21 and 28, the wire may be formed withdepending portions 29 and 30 at either end of the hanger whichthereafter are bent to continuously form the horizontal portion 3| ofthe rod I3.

Depending ends 29 and 30 of the rod I3 are preferably inset slightlyfrom the ends I and I6 of the shoulders to permit a more natural hang ofthe garment at these places. Thelength of the dependin portions isintended to furnish a satisfactory clearance for the manipulation ofthumb pieces 32 and 33 on corresponding clips 34 and 35 intended, bysprings or other well known resilient means, to.clamp the upper or lowerportions of a pair of trousers, skirt or the like which may be hungtherefrom.

In order to properly adjust for garments of different widths and toenable them to be hung :at their most effective points of suspension theclips 34 and 35 are preferably slidable along the horizontal cross bar3|. The construction of the clips is such that their marginal edges 31engage the bar 3I to prevent sliding movement of the clamps therealongand in fact to pinchand bind against the bar to restrain slidablemovement caused by the weight of a garment tending to draw themtogether. On the other hand an evenly distributed axial force along therod will cause them to slide quite readily.

The hook II may be of any suitable cross section but is preferablytubular as is most desir-.

abl the case also with the tongue I2. In order to firmly secure the hookto the hanger body the lower end 40 may be pinched and flattened atright angles against the body to enable the introduction of rivets Allor any other desired then pass upwardly through an opening 43 in 1 thetop of the hanger body where it is preferably formed with an offset 44to provide clearance for a finger piece 45 formed in the manner of ahorizontally flat loop at the upper end of the straight lever arm 46.

The lever arm may pass through a slot 41 formed in the outside of theshank in the offset portion 44. At its lower end the lever may be peenedto provide anabutment 48 limiting the upward movement of the lever whichis slidably accommodated in a hole 49 formed in the lower end of theshank and/0r body.

The lever may also be formed with an abutment 50 as b flattening at aproper place along its length in order to permit the firm securement ofa tie, such as wire or other flexible material 5I, which may then bepassed through the hollow interior of the hook for tying at its oppositeend 52 to a plug latch 53 slidably disposed in the tip 54 of the hookand extensible therefrom.

The hook, at a point spaced from its tip, may be constricted as at 55 orotherwise formed with an ear or abutment to limit and confine a coilspring '56 'or the like which resiliently bears against the plug 52-urging the same outwardly.

The plug 53 in its most outwardly extended position is thereby limitedby the tie 5I in its securement to the lever 46 and the abutment 48 onthe end thereof, all of which are under the influence of the coil spring56. In said most extended position, as illustrated for example inFigures 1 and 4, the plug 53 normally engages a lip 58 formed in theupper end of the tongue I2 which is notched out at 59 for this purpose..At its lower end the tongue I2 is yieldably secured to a coil springwhich in turn is anchored to the body of the hanger by means of a rivet6|. By this construction and by the additional fact that the tongue I2is pivoted upon a transverse axis by a pin 52 the tongue is normallyheld in a vertical position yieldable about the axis B2. The applicationof an inward transverse force to its upper end allows the tongue toyield inwardly at all times but the tongue is restrained from relativeoutward pivotal movement by the engagement of the lip 58 with the plug53 in an extended position of the latter. In order to permit suchtiltable movement of the tongue I2 the body is provided with a slot 63to accommodate the same.

It is apparent therefore that'the retraction of the plug 53 against thetension of the coil spring 56 by the depression of the finger piece 45frees the tongue I2 for pivotal movement outwardly to open the hook asrequired for the convenient removal thereof from a clothes pole. Inwardpivotal movement is achievable without retraction of the plug;

In use, in order to secure a sleeveless type of garment upon the hangerthe straps thereof may be disposed within the notches 22 and restrainedagainst slidable withdrawal from the shoulders I1 and I8 by theirengagement under the tips 23and24. a

Garments of any character, particularly those having a collar or highneckline in the back or front and which, when hung upon conventionalclothes hangers sag and lose their shape, may be held by tucking theircorresponding'portions beneath the spring clip 25 on either or bothsides of the hanger while the rest of the garment is draped over thesame in a conventional manner.

Trousers, skirts and the like may be folded over the horizontal crossbar 3| or they may be susp nded at chos npo ts by t e s ing clips 4 and35, which may be slid along the cross piece for this purpose as haspreviously been explained.

Either before or after the garment has been hung upon the hanger thehanger may be hung upon a clothes pole by pressing the tongue I2 againstthe pole forcing the same inwardly against the tension of the coilspring 6| which thereafter realigns the tongue with the tip of thehanger closing the hook and preventing the removal of the hangertherefrom.

The hanger is conveniently removable from the hook by grasping the shankof the hook as below the offset 44 and pressing downwardly upon thefinger piece 45 thereby retracting the plug 53 and freeing the tongue l2for forced pivotal movement outwardly.

The outwardly pivoted position of the tongue is shown in dotted lines inFigure 1 and designated by the numeral 18. The opposite position of thetongue, indicated in dotted outline in Figure 1 and numbered H,corresponds to its movement during the process of placing the hangerupon the clothes pole.

This invention features a drop-proof and fall-proof garment hangerutilizing appropriately placed and optionally movable clips, shouldernotches, strap hooks, properly designed light and durable shoulderportions and a suitably spaced cross piece. It likewise features a hookwhich may be readily and securely locked upon an endless clothes poleand which may be as readily removed by accessible manipulative devicesassociated with convenient hand-gripping portions. A hanger of minimumparts thereby contributes to the formation of a multipurpose hanger ofwide acceptability and use.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I haveconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of myinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent structures.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An improvement in clothes hangers comprising a hanger body, a tubularhook having a shank secured to said hanger body and a tip, a boltextensible from the tip, a coil spring confined in the tip normallyurging the bolt out-' wardly, a finger piece, a tie threaded through thehook and secured at one end to the finger piece and at the other end tothe bolt, a tongue ivoted to the hanger body and engageable with thebolt in one pivotal direction in an extended position of the bolt toclose the hook against outwardly directed forces but freed to pass saidbolt upon actuation of the finger piece against the tension of thespring to permit the hook to open in either pivotal direction of thetongue.

2. An improvement in clothes hangers comprising a hanger body, a tubularhook having a shank secured to said hanger body and a tip, a boltextensible from the tip, a coil spring confined in the tip normallyurging the bolt outwardly, a finger piece, a tie threaded through thehook and secured at one end to the finger piece and at the other end tothe bolt, a tongue pivoted to the hanger body and engageable with thebolt in one pivotal direction in an extended position of the bolt toclose the hook against outwardly directed forces but freed to pass saidbolt upon actuation of the finger piece against the tension of thespring to permit the hook to open in either pivotal direction of thetongue, said shank being offset, said finger piece comprising a loophaving an extension slidable Within one leg of the offset, and abutmentson the extension and the hanger body limiting upward movement of thefinger piece while permitting a downward movement thereof to retractsaid bolt.

ALICE. E. WIEDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 886,042 Frear Apr. 28, 19081,817,621 Harding Aug. 4, 1931 1,962,399 Littledale June 12, 19341,973,376 Freedman Sept. 11, 1934 2,076,708 Comstock Apr. 13, 1937

